There were only a few days left until she was to receive her diploma at university. But on 11 November, Giulia Cechettin disappeared completely without warning.
The police’s discovery of surveillance images showed how on November 11 she was on her way to buy clothes for her graduation with her ex-boyfriend.
According to the photos, the shopping trip ended with violence and the 22-year-old being forced into a car. Then both the woman and the ex-boyfriend disappeared.
– The lure to the cave with gifts
Suffered horrific injuries
A week-long search operation followed. Finally, Cechettin was found in a ditch, wrapped in black plastic bags. She had suffered more than 20 stab wounds to the head and neck, probably on the same evening that she disappeared. A few days later, the ex-boyfriend was arrested in Germany.
The woman’s murder is just the latest in a long line in Italy, writes BBC. According to statistics from the authorities, the number is 106 this year alone – 55 of them committed by a partner or ex-partner.
The murder of the 22-year-old has shocked Italy and led to several protests throughout the country against violence against women. It is expected that the celebrations will continue in several Italian cities on Saturday.
«MOST WANTED»: Attempted murder, serial fraud and serious crime. Among 62 wanted persons, we find four dangerous women. Video: Ørjan Ryland / Dagbladet Show more
– A harrowing image
Elisa Ercoli, head of the organization Differenza Donna which works to combat intimate partner violence, tells the BBC that the murder of Cechettin was the last straw when it comes to killing women.
– In Italy, a woman is killed every three days. The empty desk at school on the day Giulia was supposed to receive her diploma is a harrowing image. We live in a country with a society where women are still considered inferior, says Ercoli to the BBC.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, has also reacted with anger to the country’s history of women being subjected to violence by partners and ex-partners.
DEMONSTRATING: Thousands of Italians have taken to the streets to protest against the violence and murders women in the country are subjected to. Photo: IPA / SplashNews / NTB Show more
Record number of women killed
This week, the UN came out and expressed concern, after it became known on Wednesday that the number of women and girls killed globally in 2022 was the highest number in 20 years.
Around 89,000 women and girls were killed with intent last year, according to the United Nations women’s organization UN Women and the United Nations Organization on Crime and Drugs UNODC.
The brutal reality
– The worrying number of femicides is a stark reminder that humanity is still struggling against deep-rooted inequalities and violence against women and girls, says Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC.
More than half of murders of women last year, around 55 per cent, were committed by family members or partners – in comparison, this is the case for only 12 per cent of male murder victims. Most femicides last year, around 20,000, took place in Africa, followed by Asia, according to the UN.
2023-11-25 11:31:10
#Italy #rocked #femicide
